A method of manufacturing a cutting member of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph is known from EP-A-1 537 963. The known method is in particular used to manufacture an internal cutting member of a cutting unit of an electric rotary shaver. The internal cutting member comprises an annular metal plate-shaped carrier with a number of regularly distributed cutting elements formed integrally with the carrier. Each cutting element is formed from the carrier by the successive steps of cutting free the cutting element from the carrier, except for a residual connection between a base of the cutting element and the carrier, and bending the cutting element upwardly relative to the carrier. The step of cutting free the cutting element is commonly performed by cutting a free space around the cutting element by means of a suitable cutting die. The successive step of bending the cutting element is commonly performed by bending the cutting element along a bending axis situated close to the base of the cutting element by means of a separate bending die.
A disadvantage of the known method is that the free space cut around the cutting element during the step of cutting free decreases the mechanical strength of the carrier. In order to obtain a required strength of the carrier the dimensions of the carrier should be increased to compensate the loss of material caused by the free space. Such an increase of the dimensions of the carrier is not always allowable, in particular in the case of shavers or cutting units thereof that have only a limited available space to accommodate the cutting member.